Wait
by ponderer
Summary: Here’s something you should know: Derek also realized that being just friends with Casey wasn’t fine. DASEY


TITLE: Wait  
AUTHOR: ponderer  
SUMMARY:_ Here's something you should know: Derek also realized that being just friends with Casey wasn't fine. _DASEY  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Light spoilers for series finale _Futuritis_.  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I really think you should download "Noticed" by Mute Math and try and tell me that it is not a Dasey song. Go ahead. You know you want to challenge me. However, thanks for all the amazing reviews from "Fighting Words" and all of the other pieces. This was just something I cooked up because I've missed Dasey and I watched the last episodes and was just, well, kind of sad that they really didn't end up together (weird, probably, for a Disney show to do, but still) and this is a really long note, but, I just had to write this.

That and I'm graduating in three weeks. Three weeks! So, yeah, this was the result. Enjoy. Read. Review. The usual.

Wait

_Here's something you should know: Derek was really patient; more so then he ever let on._

When scheduling began for senior year of university, Derek found Casey at his house door. She looked miserable (maybe because of the current downfall of rain that hadn't stopped in days) or it may have been because he heard through the grapevine (George, Nora, Edwin, Lizzie, Emily, and even Marti) that Casey had broken up with the long term boyfriend (Phil? Jim? Stewart?) that she was upset about it. She didn't mention it though, instead of pushing past him and making herself comfortable on his couch, spreading out the scheduling book and other pamphlets with brightly colored sticky notes.

"Come on in and make yourself at home, Case," he murmured, shutting the door behind her. He had no choice but to sit next to her since he'd already dumped his book bag and laptop on the only other available chair. "What's all this?"

"I've had it with my apartment and I needed a minute to think about next semester. You weren't busy, were you?" she asked, but she didn't look at him, instead organizing the stacks and rifling through the material.

"No, not busy. Just wondering why you didn't go to the library, or Emily's, or anyone else's place but here. It's not like you get a lot of privacy here with four guys," Derek said, peering over her shoulder.

"I just needed…" she started to say and then took a long deep breath. "Do you want me to go?" she asked instead. He watched her for a minute, sensing her body tension and whatnot.

"No, it's fine. I was going to order something for dinner, do you want in?" He reached into the drawer next to him, searching for a pizza menu.

"Thanks," she murmured after he ordered the pizza (half veggie for her) and he didn't respond, just grabbed onto one of the booklets with apartment listings.

"Are you looking for a new place?"

"Yeah, I mean, I love my apartment now, but I just hate the location. It's just so far from everyone and everything. And it's my last year, so I should be closer to the library and my classes. But, I think most are taken. I suppose I'll have to find a roommate," she tsked, and he scratched the back of his head thoughtfully; knowing that another reason could be that her ex had lived in that building as well.

"I did get that apartment over on 8th, you know, did George tell you?"

"Yeah, that's a really great area. I'm surprised you don't want to stay here with the guys."

"Eh, it's not so great being a bachelor among bachelors. I feel like I need to branch out, you know?" She nodded in understanding, looking through a class booklet. "But, I mean, it is a two bedroom place. I'm probably going to have to look for a roommate."

"Oh," she said, her back suddenly straight. He could tell she was paying attention now.

"It just seems like a hassle because what if I don't like the guy? I mean, sure, I'm the most fabulous guy I know, so I have pretty high standards. And what happens if I don't get along with the guy? Then I'll have to go through it all again, and it just seems really pointless. Maybe I should live alone anyway. It really has a great view too, and this huge kitchen. A big bathroom. Oh well, maybe it's better to have it all to myself," Derek hinted, using his rusty acting skills.

"Right," she murmured, her thinking cap on. "Derek?"

"Yes Casey?" he replied, acting innocent. She turned to him, in all her bubbly glory, and her eyes were bright with a great idea.

"Let's be roommates!"

-

Time rewinds in his mind and it's like he's watching home videos. It stops in not so crucial moments (some where he's watching TV with his siblings, some playing hockey with Sam and Ralph on the street) but most are of with Casey. In those scenes, she's laughing, wrinkles around her eyes and mouth and her eyes are so blue he thinks it's the sky he's staring into. Sometimes, she's yelling and then she's crying and then she's babbling. But, it's always Casey.

Then he remembers when they both got into the same university. They had talked in the kitchen that first night after finding out the news, pouring over class lists and dorms and campus organizations when mentions of living together were light and teasing. It was decided by Casey that they would in fact, not live together their freshmen year. "I want to enjoy college and study. I don't want to have to take care of you too," she explained to him in front of their parents. It turned out though, that he took care of her a lot that year. Especially when Truman stopped calling and emailing and Casey was left to guess that it was really over. This was the semester that Derek found his true calling; photography. He snapped pictures of everything and anything. In the end, it was a good distraction for Casey for she was always yelling at him in annoyance (but then she'd laugh) and he found it was also a good distraction for him (because he could pretend to not see the way her eyes were so dim when Truman didn't call).

Sophomore year came and it was Derek's turn to explain they wouldn't live together because he was on the photography floor of the new dorms. "Seriously, we can just swop pictures for different classes. Win Win." Casey was a lot of his inspiration for his pictures, he found later as he looked at his work throughout the semester course. Most of the pictures were with warm colors (reds, oranges, yellows) and were mostly taken inside his dorm, or in the library. Most of these consisted of Casey. His favorite photo was put up on his cork board above his desk (she's sleeping on his bed, curled around his old comforter and her pillow and she's been staying over all week helping him finish his final project) and she loved this picture. But not as much as Derek.

When it was time for housing hunting for junior year, Derek was asked to live with some of the photo journalism guys and Casey found an amazing apartment across town. There she met the dreaded ex, and this was when Derek took photos of colors of loneliness. This is what his professor called his dark period, where all of his photographs were abstract, usually in black and white, with complicated lines and angles. He ended up hooking up with Emily one weekend, and it was completely awkward (for everyone involved), and they quickly realized that being just friends was just fine.

_Here's something you should know: Derek also realized that being just friends with Casey wasn't fine._

-

So, Casey moved in with Derek and at first, he didn't notice that things were still off. They still hadn't completely come back to the way things were before junior year, but it was slowly improving. He knew not to bring up the past and so she ignored the present. They made a consistent schedule where he annoyed and she badgered (like it was in high school when they were too childish and stubborn to know any better). Sometimes she makes dinner, but it's usually too clean cut for Derek, so mostly he makes dinner. It quickly becomes their favorite part of the day, and if by chance she calls and says that she's been caught up at the library, he lets her know he's upset by saying he'll just leave something in the fridge for her. But, she'll be forgiven when she comes home and he's at the stove heating up what is her portion.

They still fight like they did back at home. Except it's worse and better. Here they don't have anyone (besides Emily, really) that will break the fights up, so they have no choice to fix it themselves, or let it lie. Usually, she's the one to call a truce first because she can't stand fighting anymore, and it's almost always because he cracks a joke to alleviate the tension and her answer is a laugh.

It's been a month and she still hasn't mentioned the ex. Except when she forgets her cellphone at the apartment while she's at class and he answers. It's the ex.

"Casey?"

"No, this is Derek. She left her phone here. Do you want to call back and leave a voicemail?" Derek says. Looking back, if he'd known it was _him_ he wouldn't have answered. Or, he would have yelled, or something else.

"No, that's okay. This is Adam and she just left some things over here and I wanted to know…" but Derek had already tuned him out and hung up the cell. Adam called two more times, and then he left a text. When Casey came home, Derek held the phone up to her silently. She was thankful at first, and when she noticed the missed calls and voicemail and finally text, she looked up at Derek. Her eyes were wide and her lower lip trembled a bit, but he could tell she was trying to clench her jaw shut. He didn't know if it was for her benefit or for his.

_Here's something you might already know: it was for the benefit of them both. However, she'd never admit that to Derek._

-

When Derek first heard Adam's name, it wasn't from Casey. It wasn't from Emily either (very surprising) nor was it from Lizzie or Nora or George. It was from Edwin.

"So, have you met Casey's Adam yet?" Edwin asked nonchalantly, except it really wasn't because Derek could tell from the way that his younger brother asked, that he didn't want to.

"Adam?"

"Yeah, I guess she met him in her building and they hit it off. I'm surprised she hasn't told you… since you guys hang out a lot," is his response. Derek scratches the back of his head. His roommate nods to him on his way out the door.

"Not so much, really. But, it's Casey. I doubt it's that serious."

Except that it was and Derek knew it when he said it too because he hadn't heard it from her. And that would definitely mean something.

A week later Derek found Casey coincidentally at the library (except it wasn't because Casey was always at the library on Wednesday nights). She was surrounded by a large pile of books and he noticed that her nails had been newly manicured. He couldn't remember the last time she'd had her nails done. "Derek? Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay? Just thought I'd come and study and then I saw you. Thought you wouldn't mind if I joined you," he said, tossing his book bag unceremoniously on the table. She looked up at him as if to explain that it wasn't okay, but she figured he had something to say if he came to the library to find her. "So, have you talked to the family lately? I just talked to Edwin. He actually had some news."

"Oh yeah?" she asked, not looking up from her notebook but he noticed she'd stopped writing for a second. She knew.

"Yeah. He said you were dating someone. Tony or something or other."

"His name's Adam," she replied, heaving a sigh. She finally looked up at him and she was thrown back by his expression.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I guess I just… I just, well, wanted to see how things were going to go with him. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it." Her reply wasn't something he wanted to hear so he shook his head.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked again.

"I just told you. It's not a big deal," she shrugged. "I just hadn't seen you and it never came up. I just told mom about it, so I'm assuming she told everyone at home. I didn't realize you'd be so upset."

"Yeah, whatever." He'd said. "Yeah, whatever." Then he peaced out, with a flustered Casey behind him.

_Here's something that Derek knew: nothing was ever going back to the way it was, no matter how badly he wanted it to._

-

Exactly three days after the Adam phone calls, Casey finally talked about it. Derek had been cooking and she came in, less stoic than she'd been the past few days before. "I'm meeting Adam tomorrow to pick up my things I left at his place. I'm sorry I haven't quite been myself, but I just… it was kinda hard for me to talk about and I needed some time." She was wringing her hands and she looked ready to burst, or run away, but Derek kept his eyes on her. "Our relationship has been strained since I moved in, I realize that, but I guess… will you…um…" she started but tears were rolling down her cheeks and he already had her in his arms before she could choke out the rest. "Will you come with me?"

"Yeah Case. I'll be there." They stayed like that for a long time. Derek realized that things were maybe heading in the right direction.

They met Adam in the early afternoon in front of the bookstore where he worked in the mornings. He was already there when they showed, Casey more nervous than Derek had realized when they left the apartment, with a Big Brown Bag. Adam was different than he pictured, scrawny with dark framed glasses and short spiky hair. He still had his work uniform on and he was jiggling keys or change in his pocket. When he saw Casey, he looked almost grim. Casey on the other hand, whose head had been down the entire time, moved her chin up high with her shoulders back. Derek knew it was an act, and he thought that maybe Adam knew it too, but he couldn't do a damn thing about it now, so instead, Derek put an arm around Casey's waist in support. She didn't stop him, nor was she put off by it, but more relaxed by his touch.

"Hey," Adam said, shuffling his scuffed up black tennis shoes. Derek nodded in acknowledgment and Casey reached out for the bag. "I think that's everything. You can let me know if there's something missing."

"I will, thanks." She made a show of looking into the bag, but Derek again knew better.

"How are you doing?"

"I've been good. Busy. You know…" she said, making eye contact with Derek briefly and Adam nodded to himself. Derek wondered if he thought they were dating now. Derek didn't bother to correct him, and neither did Casey.

"Good. I just read your latest article online for the magazine. It was really good," Adam said and Casey managed a small smile in thanks.

"I'm glad." Adam seemed to deem that this was the end of the conversation and looked at his watch for a way out.

"Well, I've got a class soon, so I'll be on my way. I'll see you Casey," he said, smiling slightly and waved, before heading back inside. Derek waited a second to see Casey's reaction. She was barely there and he knew she needed to escape somewhere more private. He took the bag from her hands in his spare hand, keeping his other arm around her waist. She leaned on him and they made their walk back to their apartment.

When they got home, Casey went through her things privately in her room while Derek waited patiently (and impatiently) at the kitchen table spinning a pop tab on the counter restlessly. An hour or so later (exactly an hour and thirty-three minutes) she came out, eyes red and her nose sniffling. He met her halfway and stopped a foot before her. She met his gaze openly, without shame or embarrassment, and he waited. "Thank you." It was simple, and everything, and not enough, but he had nodded. She smiled and touched his arm as she passed him into kitchen. That night she made them both dinner (his favorite: beef tips and noodles) and they laughed, and he saw that she was finally returning to herself.

After the Adam situation blew over, things were truly okay again. Derek would meet Casey out at the library on Wednesday nights with his camera handy and they would head to the local coffee shop to watch amateur night. Sometimes it would be poetry readings or solo artists singing blues hits. Derek made sure to use all of the lighting available in the dim room, trying different angles and frame sizes to emphasis the way the musician strummed the acoustic guitar or the wide eyes and mouth set of the poet. And then he would hear Casey gasp, or sigh, or laugh, and the camera would flash in direction before he realized it. When he'd go to the dark room to develop the film, most would be of Casey.

_Here's something Casey knew: things with Adam was a lot like her writing. It had a great beginning, a so-so middle, and a crushing ending that was a big surprise to the heroine. The most surprising was how Derek was the one to show her that her story didn't have to end there._

-

When Derek began toying with the idea of photo journalism, Casey was the one to buy him a camera. It was an old Polaroid she found at a thrift store, and it wouldn't be worthy of the courses he would need it for, but he fell in love with it instantly. He took so many pictures within the first week that the first photo album was also purchased by Casey. It was blue with faint etchings for a border and a place to put a picture. In the slot was a picture of Derek when he wasn't paying attention, a photo she had taken sometime in the past week and hidden from him, where he was pouring over film strips, looking over his options for his latest assignment. The angle was simple, and the way the light captured him was more than he could ask for.

Inside the cover, she had also written a small note.

_Derek,  
__Fill the album with all of your strange and wonderful ideas. Just don't break the camera with pictures of your face._

_Yours,  
__Casey_

She'd also tucked another photo of herself into the first page. It was of her face, her pink tongue sticking out towards him in a childish photo.

-

When the semester was half hour, Casey came home with a letter, unopened, from a grad school in New York. She had written her application weeks ago, checking and rechecking everything about the essay, and making sure she had everything ready and prepared for a possible interview. Derek knew she'd get accepted, because hell, she was an amazing writer and who wouldn't want her? She looked so nervous that he couldn't laugh at her, and they both sat on the couch and stared at the envelope for at least twenty minutes before his own nerves won out. "Just open it Case! We both know you got in, so just gloat and open it." He goaded, and the moment her fingers touched it, something deep in his stomach turned over.

Her eyes read line by line and didn't look back up until she was done reading. Her face had given nothing away and he was about ready to rip the letter out her hands when she finally smiled and lunged herself at him. "I did it," she said in an excited whisper. "I really did it."

"Of course you did."

When she pulled back to look at him, he really wish he had his camera to capture the moment. But then reality caught up with him and he couldn't help but think _she was going to New York._

She spent the rest of the evening gushing over the phone with her mother and then Emily and then Lizzie. His own phone rang and it was George. "Hi son, were you there when she found out?"

"Yeah, I was here Dad. Pretty cool, right?" Derek was cooking, trying to keep his hands busy. He knew he should have been more excited about it. He was hoping he could at least hide it from his lawyer father.

"It's a truly wonderful thing. Grad school! In New York! Nora can't stop smiling. Even Marti suggested a celebration dinner. Do you think Casey would like to meet halfway?" Derek could tell his father was just as excited as Casey, because he had also obviously went to grad school.

"I'm sure she would love that Dad."

"Son, are you okay? You don't seem all that chipper with the good news." Derek looked through the doorway to see Casey bouncing the couch as she talked to her sister on the phone. He couldn't help smiling at her, but it was bittersweet.

"Yeah I'm fine. Just feeling a little stressed out about my project." It wasn't really a lie. Just not the complete truth of the situation.

"Casey emailed me some of your work," he said after a minute. His father was calm now, and concern took over. "I know that you're probably sad, nervous maybe for _your project_ but it'll turn out just fine. You're doing a great job and your professor will really appreciate the hard work."

"Will he? Sometimes it doesn't feel that way. At least, not in the way I want it to," Derek answered quietly. He heard his father's sigh.

"It will all work out. Look at how far you've come already. Give it time, keep working, and what's meant to be, is meant to be. I'm really proud of you Derek. We all are." Derek nodded, clenching his jaw, hearing Casey squeal in the living room.

"Thanks Dad."

_Here's something George knew: he knew that Derek would have feelings for his step-daughter at some point in time. He had accepted that early on. What he hated about it was that his son longed for a beautiful girl who needed time to figure things out. What he loved about it was how his son had learned to have the patience and grew to love the girl more for it._

-

Derek didn't mean to close himself off from Casey after finding out the good news. He was happy for her, truly he was. But, it was really the first time he'd had to deal with the true idea that she wasn't going to be within the city limits. Hell, she'd be out of the country! He tried desperately to keep his feelings hidden, but even he could admit that he was a horrible actor, so it didn't take long for Casey to question his hiding.

He had been slipping through the door quietly around ten one night after working in the dark room after class. He thought she'd be in bed, mostly because the lights were all off, but she was sitting in the dark wrapped up in a blanket. When she spoke, he jumped almost out of his shoes. "I'm a little too young to die from a heart attack Case," he laughed, trying to edge his way into his room but she was already in front of him.

"I made dinner. Then I put it in the fridge. Then I heated it up. Then I put it back in the fridge. Why didn't you call?" Even in the dark, he could see how bright her eyes were. If anything, they could be the light he'd follow anywhere.

"Sorry, I was distracted. I'll just warm something up in a bit, even though I grabbed a sandwich earlier. I might just head to bed anyways. Plus my phone was off," he listed off. He realized after living with her for so long that he was beginning to capture her mannerisms. She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him, her eyes narrowed. And yeah, she'd learned a few of his own mannerisms.

"Look, I don't get what your deal is, but its bull. You've been crabby all week and you haven't been around. What's going on?" she demanded.

"It's nothing okay? I've just been busy. I'm tired so I'll see you tomorrow okay?" he tried again to move around her, but she placed a hand on his chest to push him back. He looked down at her, amazed. "Come on Case, not tonight."

"No, I think tonight's a perfect time to talk. You know I'm not the patient type. I hate waiting for you to figure out how to talk to me, okay? So, you're not going anywhere until you tell me what's wrong." He looked down at her and said nothing. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, I'm not mad at you."

"You sure as hell seem like it, Derek. You've been ignoring me. What did I do? If you don't tell me, I can't fix it."

"You can't fix it, okay? I'm not exactly the fixable type. You should know that," he said, throwing his bag behind him and sighing. He ran his hand through his hair, feeling a headache coming on. Casey still hadn't budged.

"What's that supposed to mean? What can't I fix? You know I'm here to help you in any way I can. Let's face it, you've been there a lot for me, and I think it's my turn to help you. So, please, just talk to me about it."

"Please, I really just don't want to talk about it. Avoidance and ignorance are the best policies," he said, smirking.

"Shut up! I'm tired of these stupid lines and that stupid smirk! Just tell me what's going on with you!" she was red, yelling, battle stance ready. Except, Derek was already defeated.

"I don't want you to go to New York," he answered softly.

"And why the hell not? Do you not think I can handle being on my own?"

"No, I don't think I can handle being without you." She stared up at him, her mouth gaping like a fish. "Look, it's just something that's been in my head lately. I'll get over it. You're going to New York and you're going to be great and I'll be fine." He shuffled past her, hoping that he could make it to his room in one piece. He was to his door when she spoke again, just as quiet as his confession.

"I'm scared of going to New York."

"Why?" he turned back to face her; her hair was shielding her face.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without you either." His footsteps were quiet as he tried to even his breathing, walking towards her. He could almost hear her heart beating frantically in her chest. She wasn't looking up yet, but he could sense that she knew he was near.

"What?" he begged, needing to hear it again, because he couldn't believe it. This time, she looked up and shrugged.

"You've always been there Derek. Even when you didn't want to be. And yet, you're always there. Why?" she tilted her head to the side, her voice quiet. The apartment around them was static with their words.

"I don't know," he answered simply, but it was another lie. She shook her head, not having to say anything. "I guess that I was just waiting."

It took awhile for her to speak again, but he'd been looking at the floor and didn't see that she had taken that final step. Her finger was beneath his chin, raising his gaze to hers. "You've always waited for me, haven't you?" He nodded. He was struggling to breathe; just the simple touch of her finger on his face was enough for him to feel her everywhere. All of a sudden, she stepped back and kept moving until the side of the couch met the back of her legs. She looked winded and overwhelmed. Derek moved one step towards her, but Casey held up a hand. Again, like always, he waited.

"All the pictures, and the timing was never right, and you were there, the entire time. I can't believe that you knew and I didn't… you! You waited and didn't tell me!" she almost seemed mad, and he grew confused.

"What was I supposed to do Casey? Tell you in passing one day that I wanted to be with you? That I wanted to comfort you in every way and not feel trapped into just friendly hugs? Should I have just kissed you?" he moved in front of her, holding onto her waist in his large hands.

"I don't know," she said, her voice wavering.

"Tell me what I should have done. Because it seems that no matter what I would done, or whenever, we'd end up right here. I just wanted you to figure it out for yourself. You'd hate if I took all the credit for it, anyway. Not that I won't anyway," he said, hoping for a laugh. She didn't move so he tightened his fingers on her waist. He moved even closer, feeling her staggering breath on his skin. He could smell her everywhere and her eyes were wide and bright and she never looked so beautiful.

"Please," she murmured, and he wasn't quite sure what she was asking for, but he leaned in and kissed her anyways. It didn't take long for her to respond, wrapping one arm low on his waist, the other moving up to cup his stubbled cheek. He made a sound deep in his throat and Casey moved closer to him still. His arms encircled around her waist, but seconds later she was pushing him away. She stalked away, breathing deeply, her hair a mess. "Derek," she said. He watched her, scared of what she was feeling or about to say. He grabbed his bag and she watched him as he dug out his final project. He handed it to her silently and watched as she flipped it open.

He had entitled the entire movement _Wait_. Each photo was of her, of him and her together, but mostly just her. As she flipped page by page she could see that it was an evolution of their entire relationship. It documented fights and make-ups and dinners and laughter and nothing and it was everything. She moved slowly, and as always, Derek waited patiently for her to flip through the entire book. The last photo, the last one he captured, was what he was expecting the biggest reaction from her. Finally, but really only seconds later, she was there and she looked up at him with her big blue eyes, full of tears, and she nodded. The book dropped to the floor as she threw herself at him, crying and laughing, and just saying his name over and over again.

The picture and album, laid forgotten on the floor, was of him the summer before freshman year in the kitchen. They were both sitting at the island and she was pouring over her course book and while he was pretending to flip through his own, he was really watching her with a silly grin on his face.

-

_Here's something that you should know: Casey went to grad school in New York. Derek wasn't far behind. And, he didn't have to wait anymore._


End file.
